Earlier this year, over a dozen first-rate graffiti writers refashioned Long Island’s Oil City Skate Park. Under the curatorial direction of Zeso and his partner, Nino, the Oil City Skate Park Jam transformed the huge indoor venue into a graffiti wonderland. Here are a few more images that I captured while visiting last Sunday:
Just
Photos by Lois Stavsky
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The legendary Bronx-based graffiti artist John Matos aka Crash has been busy these days — with work on the streets, on exhibit and on Ferrari cars. Here’s a sampling:
At work on the Lower East Side last month for the Lisa Project
Recently-completed mural up in the Bronx for TAG Public Arts Project
At opening of Broken English at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery
With spray paint on canvas in Broken English at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery, Wrapped in My Own Existence
On exhibit in City as Canvas at the Museum of the City of New York, acrylic on canvas, 1986
For the Crash Ferrari Art Project, a collaborative venture with Joe “MAC” of Martino Auto Concepts and the Dorian Grey Gallery, on exhibit beginning today, July 24, through July 28 at Art Southampton
Photos: 1, 3 and 5 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; photo 2 by Lois Stavsky; photo 4 courtesy of the artist and photos 6-8, courtesy Bettina Cataldi
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On exhibit through this week at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in the West Village is Born in the Bronx: A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip-Hop. Among its many highlights are: memorabilia featuring personal narratives and archives of hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa; hip-hop party flyers and clothing designed by the late Buddy Esquire; original cells from the animated sequences of Charlie Ahearn’s film Wild Style and prints of Joe Conzo’s photographs of the early days of hip hop.
Here is a sampling of what greeted us when we visited this past Tuesday:
On the exterior of Gavin Brown’s Enterprise
U.K.- based Paul Insect‘s portrait of Afrika Bambaataa
And inside the gallery — noted DJ, producer and poet Rich Medina going though the bins of duplicates from Afrika Bambaataa‘s record collection
Close-up from installation of Buddy Esquire‘s clothing and flyer designs
Afrika Bambaataa fashioned from Bambaataa’s records by Paul Insect and Bäst
Selections from Joe Conzo’s’s seminal Born in the Bronx
The pioneering MC and hip-hop historian Grandmaster Caz
And legendary b-boy Crazy Legs
With Charlie Ahearn
Exhibited by Boo-Hooray and curated by Johan Kugelberg, Born in the Bronx is an extraordinary tribute to hip-hop’s early days and its everlasting influence. And if you can get over there tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon — between 1-3pm — you will be treated to a Born In The Bronx Hot Platter Lunch DJ Session with DJ Jazzy Jay and DJ Rockin Rob. The gallery is located at 620 Greenwich Street at the corner of Leroy Street in the Village.
Photos 1-4, 7, 8 & 10 by Lois Stavsky; 5, 6 & 9 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; photo 1 features mural by Keo X-men
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gallery nine5 will host a block party this evening — from 6-8pm — to celebrate the transformation of its gallery walls into a vibrant, magical public sphere. Here are a few recently captured images:
Vor138‘s completed piece with TATS CRU on the left and Bisco Smith to the right
Shiro at work
And her completed piece
Ket — who has been transforming his original piece with political references and names of victims of violence and war; it’s certain to look different this evening from the close-up captured here!
And the always-wonderful Rubin415 at work on Monday
gallery nine5 is located at 24 Spring Street, and if you can’t make it this evening, you can check out the site-specific exhibit through July 30.
Photos: 1-4 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 5-6 by Lois Stavsky
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With cameras in hand, Leanna Valente has spent the past 15 months photographing graffiti writers and street artists in progress. She now has over 400 photos signed by the artists. I recently had the opportunity to speak to Leanna about her brilliant Instant Art Exposure project and more:
Have you any early memories of graffiti or street art?
I remember first seeing graffiti as a young child. It was right down the block — under viaducts and bridges — from where I grew up in Buffalo. I loved it at first sight!
Have you, yourself, done any graffiti?
When I was about six, I attempted some bubble letters. And I still give it a try while doodling on a napkin!
What about other art forms?
I’ve been doing art – of one kind or another — for as long as I can remember.
Any particular styles or genres?
Mainly mixed-media works of acrylic, spray paint, fabric and photography.
Have you shown your work in galleries or formal settings?
I started showing in galleries in 2003 while living in Atlanta. I also showed in Miami, in Southern California, in Buffalo and at alternative spaces in Brooklyn in 2010.
Have you studied art in a formal setting?
I’m basically self-taught. I’ve studied art informally at FIT here in NYC and at the Atlanta College of Art/SCAD when I was living in Atlanta, Georgia.
Can you tell us something about your photography projects?
My series Extreme Fashion Window Design in NYC focuses on extreme fashion window designs in Manhattan portraying the glamour and grit of the city. Another series Trashion focuses on the exclusive branding found in our city’s trash. And my Instant Art Exposure project documents NYC’s street art and graffiti scene.
You are obviously quite passionate about street art and graffiti.
Yes, I have been addicted to it for as long as I can remember, and I officially started documenting it in 2007. I love its unique beauty and grand size. It’s gutsy and challenging. Just seeing it gives me an adrenalin rush!
I can relate to that! When did you begin this NYC project?
I became avidly serious about it about 14 months ago at Welling Court while watching Kingbee paint. He was the first to sign a photo.
And we all love your shots that the artists sign. It’s a brilliant concept. I wish I had thought of it myself! Did anything in particular inspire it?
Through documenting street art, graffiti and art/fashion mixes for my blog, I became even more interested in documenting the artists “in process.” It became my way of paying respect to them and the hard work they put into each piece on the walls. I felt that it was a unique and personal addition to the black book. And when artists began to respond enthusiastically, I continued.
Where is the project headed?
Well, people keep on asking me what I’m doing with it. Originally I was just doing it for myself. It was meant as a personal diary of photos to hang on my wall. But artists I’ve photographed and other people in the scene have suggested that I follow up on publishing a book and launching an exhibit that feature the works. And so in addition to what I do with my standard photography equipment, my primary focus now is on this project. Talks are now in the works for a series of books, gallery shows and select prints. I will never sell the originals, but I will choose, with the assistance of the artists, a select number to make into prints.
That sounds great! Who are some of the artists have you photographed?
They range from such legends as Blek le Rat, Lady Pink, Charlie Ahearn, Lee Quinones, Crash, Futura and Kenny Scharf to contemporary masters such as Shepard Fairey, Logan Hicks, Sp.One, Wane, Chris Stain, Billy Mode, Stik, Stinkfish, RWK and Icy and Sot. And I can’t imagine ever stopping!
Note: You can follow Leanna on Instagram at @leannav & #instantartexposure, in addition to her blog and her soon-to-be-launched website www.instantartexposure.com.
Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky.
Leanna’s photos: 1. Buff Monster 2. Veng RWK 3. Hoacs 4. Queen Andrea 5. Rubin & Joe Iurato
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The Lower East Side Ecology Center’s eWaste Recycling and ReUse Warehouse — at 469 President Street on the corner of Nevins in Gowanus, Brooklyn — now boasts, in addition to its wonderful facilities, a sumptuous outdoor mural recently fashioned by the Wallnuts Crew.
Werc, close-up
Trans1, Dos…
And in addition to the first-rate art on its outside, the ReUse store at the Gowanus Warehouse offers audio equipment, alongside refurbished and heavily discounted computers and other electronics.
Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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Presented by No Longer Empty in partnership with Broadway Housing Communities, If You Build It features a range of artwork in different media by more than twenty local, national, and international artists. Located at 155th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue in Sugar Hill on a site designed by architect David Adjaye, the exhibit — along with an impressive array of events and programs — continues through August 10. Here is a sampling of the artworks that can be seen on the site’s grounds and in future apartments:
Rául Ayala, A Blaze of Glory
Moses Ros-Suárez, seated on sculpture he fashioned — one of four structural models of bridges
Carlos Mare aka Mare139, 8th FreeStyle Archityper
Radcliffe Bailey, From the Cabinet: Fire Music — fashioned with recycled piano keys
Scherezade García, Cathedral/Catedral, made up of stacked inner tubes/life savers ‘dipped’ in gold paint “so as to resemble a temporary alter or monument to immigrants and their aspirations”
Brendan Jamison and Mark Revels, Sugar Metropolis — composed with half a million sugar cubes
The exhibit is open Thursday–Friday 3–7pm & Saturday–Sunday 1–6pm & Wednesday by appointment.
Photo of Rául Ayala by Lois Stavsky; all others by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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FROM STREET TO ART, featuring a range of artwork by 10 contemporary Italian artists who’ve achieved recognition for their street art, continues through August 20. Curated by Simone Pallotta, the exhibit is housed in the elegant Italian Cultural Insititue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 – 4pm. Here is a sampling of the artwork that ranges from the imaginatively provocative to the wistfully lyrical:
BR1, Holy Land Delights, close-up
Sten&Lex, Untitled
Agostino Iacurci, Mimicry
2501, Rising of the Phoenix
Dem, close-up
UFO5, Untitled
Photos of BR1, Sten Lex, Augustino Iacurci and UFO5 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; of BR1 close-up, 2501 and Dem by Lois Stavsky
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In my meanderings around Jersey City this past year, I came upon a number of first-rate murals by a wonderful array of artists signed Savage Habbit, along with the artists’ signatures. Just who or what is Savage Habbit? I found out this weekend as Inez, its founder, gave me a tour of Savage Habbit’s walls and answered some questions about its mission:
Just what is Savage Habbit?
It is foremost a blog that was founded in 2011. It is dedicated to showcasing the best art that has made its way onto the streets across the globe. Among Savage Habbit’s missions today is to bring more street art to our local community.
What motivated you to launch Savage Habbit?
I wanted a blog that represented the art that I love, and the only way I could do that was to start my own.
And what about the murals?
I’m a New Jersey girl. I was born and raised here. I wanted to walk around my neighborhood and see art in my community. And I wanted to give back to my state. These murals benefit everyone!
When did your first mural surface?
Last year — in 2013.
What has been your greatest challenge?
Finding walls.
You seem to have facilitated quite a few murals. How do you find the artists?
Some contact me, and others I contact when I see that they are in town.
What’s ahead?
There are five confirmed walls. Savage Habbit’s next wall will feature Nanook and Mata Ruda.
And what about the name “Savage Habbit?” What does it represent?
The name is derived from a Wu Tang quote: Ricochet Rabbit had a habit, he was a savage. We are savagely passionate about our habit, art!
That sounds right! We look forward to seeing more art on the streets of Jersey City.
Brief interview and photos by Lois Stavsky
1. Alice Pasquini, close-up
2. Mr. Mustart
3. Li-Hill at work yesterday
4. Ekundayo
5. Sean Lugo
6. Case, MA`CLAIM, close-up
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One of the most dynamic graffiti productions in town can be found in Long Island City off Queensboro Plaza. Showcasing the talents of the Wallnuts, UK-based artists SHYE131 and Trans1, the murals exude an exuberant, infectious energy. Here are a few close-ups from the pride of the neighborhood:
Been3 Wallnuts
Photos by Lois Stavsky
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